Dirty Dishes
by MadameLunaRaven
Summary: Plot: Sakura and Naruto bond while washing dirty dishes. If I were have to call this anything, I suppose it would be narusaku fluff. My sister enjoyed it, so I thought I might as well post it.


**"Dirty Dishes"**  
**written by:** _LunaRaven Disclaimer: I do not own naruto nor it characters and I do not make any profit off of it._  
**Setting:** _Second arc Author notes: I'm assuming that Sakura lives alone by now, because I don't recall hearing about her parents in the second arc at all. If this changes, i'll probably update this story. But for now, she resides in her own apartment._

This time, he would definately do it. How could he not? The moment was perfect! No pretty boys or missions to interfere now. And the evening was beautiful, perfect for an innocent date. Yet still, even with all of these encouraging thoughts running through his head, Uzumaki Naruto could not bring his fist to knock against her door; the door of Haruno Sakura.

"Just do it!" Naruto urged himself, but his body would not move. He had been standing on her doorstep for nearly an hour now and he'd made no progress. Ever since Naruto could remember he was infatuated with the pink hair flower appropiately named, "Sakura". What first started this now heart draining love for her was a true mystery for the scholars. But how love starts doesn't really matter in this story. However, where love leads to is another matter entirely.

Chest throbbing, quaking knees, beads of sweat...Why was this so hard! He and Sakura had been on the same team for three years now, yet everytime he got close to asking her for a mere stroll he froze up like, for lack of better words, a dead fish. Naruto had been through hell. He had no parents as a youth, he was teased mercilessly, and he had almost died a number of times. But although Naruto has endured many harsh times, when it's broken down, it means nothing. What a trulely amazing woman Sakura must be to render someone so strong utterly debilitated.

Phlegmatic gulp followed by a quaking breath. Slowly and cautiously, Naruto raised his fist to her door. "Maybe she'll throw me out. Or maybe she'll refuse to see me! I haven't done anything wrong lately, so she cant be mad at me. No, I have to knock! Afterall, tonight's perfect!" Naruto's thoughts were stumbling over eachother and running around in crooked circles. He close his eyes and gave a loud knock, afterwards stunned at what he had just done. He was going to run, however, when he heard Sakura call, "Just a moment!", he knew that he was stuck. In reality, it didn't take her but two minutes to open the door. But to naruto, two minutes were exscrutiatingly long.

I'd be lying if I said that Sakura wasn't suprised to see Naruto at her apartment. Afterall, he had never been to her house before, not even when she was living with her parents. "Naruto," she started, some shock still lingering in her tone, "why are you here?"

"H-hello S-sakura chaaaaaaan..." He said in a very nervous, and rather odd voice. Before he blinked he had begun to play with his fingers and kick his shoe in the dirt. His breathing became labored and he attempted to speak intelligible words...he had no such luck.

"Sakura Chan!" he yelled, causing Sakura to give a little jump.

"What! What is it!" she yelled, still concerned for his sudden appearence at her doorstep.

"MAY-I-COME-IN-I-REALLY-WANT-TO-TALK-WITH-YOU!" He managed to choke out, taking a moment to catch his breath. His face must've been as deep as a beat by now, he could feel the heat throughout his entire body. Reluctantly, thinking that Naruto had gone mad, Sakura gave a nodd and stood aside, only to observe Naruto tripping over the mat.

"Well," sakura sighed, "you still act like the normal naruto."

Naruto bolted up and stood like a corpse, almost mirroring her coat rack. "You're going to have to talk to me in the Kitchen Naruto, i'm in the middle of dishes."

Although Sakura would immediately drop her chores for a message of urgency, she could tell that it would take a while for Naruto to get his thoughts together. On there way to the Kitchen, naruto observed his surroundings. "Sakura Chan, your house is very clean." he observed, causing Sakura to raise a brow.

"Well, thankyou Naruto." She replied rather awkwardly. She had never thought that she would have Naruto critiquing her living area.

"Oh no! Why'd you say something so stupid! Did you see the look she just gave you! Idiot! She knows how clean her apartment is!" Naruto's thoughts screamed and he couldn't help but give a large moan, which earned him another strange look from his female teamate. Sakura held a worried and awkward expression on her face. To begin with, interacting with Naruto in her apartment was something entirely new to her. When they were on missions together, or maybe just walking to Ichikaru Ramen, Sakura could always carry out conversation with him. But, in her apartment? Not even Sasuke had been in her apartment before he ran away, and even then she probably wouldn't know what to say. Sakura shook her thoughts loose and handed naruto a rag.

"Here." she said, "You can help me while we talk."

Naruto accepted, but then gave out a sigh of depression. This is not how he had imagined his first time in Sakura's apartment. "No," he thought, "I can still make this a perfect evening! So what if we're doing dishes! Maybe I can compliment her hands. Yes, that's what i'll do!"

"Yosh!" Naruto said as he picked up the first dish and began to scrub it passionately. Sakura had noticed the change in behaviour, but that was common for a guy like Naruto. He always seemed to be doing something odd or stupid. Yet with the two years that Naruto had gone, Sakura kind of missed having the dopey little boy around to make her laugh and dream the impossible. Yes indeed, Konoha wouldn't be as interesting without Naruto. Sakura smiled to herself and passed another dish to Naruto who took it eagerly. She was still amazed on how much taller he had gotten.

"Sakura Chan..." Naruto started, setting down his rag.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, noting the change of tone in his voice.

"You look...Well, you look very nice tonight...and everynight." He said quitely, shifting his eyes to her and then back to his rag. Sakura was too shocked to respond immediately, feeling a warm splash across her face. Was this Naruto? Sakura had always been aware of Nartuo's love for her, but she had never really seen it aside from blushes and jumbled sentences. Yet, ever since Sasuke left, Sakura began to appreciate Naruto more. She began to notice him when she hadn't before and realize how devestated she would be if he left her. Sure, he had gone to train for two years, but not without telling her so. And even then, she was growing as a ninja as well. But now, after hearing Naruto say those words, she couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if he had left instead of Sasuke.

"mm..Sakura?" Naruto asked, breaking her transe. "We're finished." he said victoriously, as he put the last plate in the cupboard. "Wow, I didn't think that we'd be finished so soon!" Sakura marveled. Her and Naruto both agreed that they made a good team, and exchanged a friendly grin and a "nice guy pose". I think they've both been hanging around Lee and Gai for too long...

"Well, I'd better be going." Naruto said, a hint of sadness in his voice. Well, atleast he got to compliment her right? And besides, just being around her made him happy.

"You're leaving already?" Sakura asked, a bit depressed to loose his company. Afterall, it could be very lonely to sit in a large apartment all by oneself.

"Yeah, I don't want to take up your evening. I'm sure you've got important things to do and all." He said as he waved and turned towards the door.

"Erm..Naruto!" she protested, causing him to turn and face her. Wait, didn't she want him out? Afterall, he had created a very awkward situation.

"What is it Sakura Chan?" Naruto asked, a bit hope now rising in him.

"Well, I actually have nothing else to do tonight, and I am a bit hungry. So I was wondering if you'd want to walk to Ichikaru Ramen with me."

Those words, could they be real? Could Sakura really just have asked him to go to dinner with her! Allright, so it wasn't a very romantic proposal, but it didn't have to be! He was going to dinner with Sakura! Naruto couldn't contain his joy any longer, so he let it out in an enthusiastic, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" followed by an odd laugh and a strange dance.

"Hold it!" Sakura said, a meanacing look now plastered on her face. "It's your treat."

Naruto turned his back towards her and fummled through his frog wallet. Well, he'd have to get one less bowl of ramen than he usually gets, but it was worth it.

"Yosh!" He yelled as they made there way out her door and onto the street. Sure, it wasn't like a scene taken from the notebook or romance novel. But atleast he was one step closer to being able to tell her how he really felt for her, and she seemed closer to acknowledging it.

It's Amazing what type of affection can brew of over a load of dirty dishes.

THE END


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